Report Summary

Period covered: 31 May – 04 July 2026

3 minute read

Note: This report summary is one or two months behind the current month as standard reporting practice. The content is indicative only and incomplete with certain data undisclosed. Become a member to access this data or take out a free 30-day membership trial now.

Food & Grocery Sales

Food and grocery sales increased by xx% year-on-year in June, delivering steady growth during a month characterised by major sporting events and exceptional weather.

The combination of the FIFA Club World Cup, Wimbledon and England's hottest June on record created repeated opportunities for at-home entertaining, helping to sustain demand across the grocery sector despite consumers remaining cautious about wider discretionary spending.

Unlike many non-food categories, food retail continued to benefit from frequent purchasing patterns and consistent household demand.

June's calendar provided additional occasions to shop rather than fundamentally changing consumer behaviour, with spending concentrated around events that encouraged households to eat, drink and socialise at home.

Key trading themes and drivers

The FIFA Club World Cup and Wimbledon generated repeated viewing occasions across the month, supporting purchases linked to watching sport at home, while prolonged warm weather increased demand for products associated with outdoor dining, barbecues and informal entertaining.

The weather also influenced shopping frequency. Extended periods of hot weather encouraged consumers to make more regular trips for fresh food, chilled products and drinks, while seasonal lines became increasingly important as households adapted meals to warmer conditions.

Grocery retailers were able to benefit from a combination of everyday demand and event-led purchasing.

The most striking category specific data was heatwave-driven summer consumption. Worldpanel reported suncare sales more than doubled (xx%), fresh beef burger sales up xx%, and fresh prepared salads and chilled dips both up xx%.

Consumer behaviour and channel trends

June demonstrated how quickly grocery shopping responds to changes in consumers' daily routines. Sporting events and favourable weather altered not only what households bought but also when they shopped, with purchasing patterns becoming increasingly aligned to specific occasions throughout the month.

Consumers also continued to balance value with convenience. Although inflation has eased considerably from the levels seen over the past two years, households remain conscious of grocery bills and continue to compare prices carefully.

They also remain willing to spend more where purchases are linked to social occasions or seasonal events, particularly when entertaining family and friends at home.

Digital grocery channels continue to form part of that purchasing journey, particularly for larger planned shops, while convenience stores benefit from top-up missions linked to changing weather and last-minute event purchases.

Online remained ahead of the wider grocery market, with Ocado reporting double digit growth and the major grocers continuing to invest in quicker, more flexible fulfilment.

Demand was supported by the increasing maturity of quick commerce, with Tesco extending Whoosh through its new ‘Book for Later’ option and Sainsbury’s integrating Groceries Online, Chop Chop and SmartShop into a single digital architecture.

Outlook

Food and grocery sales should remain supported through July, with the FIFA World Cup and Wimbledon continuing to provide further occasions for at-home viewing, entertaining and additional food and drink purchases.

Warm weather and the start of the school holidays will add another layer of demand, but shopping patterns will become less predictable as more households travel, eat away from home or move between larger planned shops and smaller top-up visits.

Food inflation will remain central to the value of sales, since slower price growth leaves the sector more dependent on volume and product mix than it was during the inflation-driven gains of previous years.

Higher energy bills will keep attention on value even when consumers are spending around summer occasions.

July should therefore remain a positive month for food retail, but the quality of growth will rest more heavily on genuine increases in purchasing volumes than on rising prices.

Take out a FREE 30 day membership trial to read the full report.

UK Grocery Market Share (12 weeks to 12 July)